Delta Airlines and TSA confirmed it happened on an Atlanta-to-Tokyo flight on Jan. 2.

Author:
Adrianne Haney

Published:
10:01 PM EST January 13, 2019

Updated:
7:47 PM EST January 14, 2019

ATLANTA — Authorities are investigating after a passenger traveling through the Atlanta airport managed to get a gun past airport security and aboard a 14-hour Delta Airlines flight, just hours into the new year.

Delta confirmed it happened on an Atlanta-to-Tokyo flight on Jan. 2.

According to online flight tracking website, Flight Aware, Delta flight 295 took off from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta around 11:30 a.m. Jan. 2 and landed at Tokyo Narita International Airport around 3 p.m. Jan 3.

After landing, the passenger told officials about having the gun. Airline officials alerted TSA soon after, Delta said. The Atlanta-based airline declined further statement, deferring to the TSA.

11Alive reached out to the agency, who sent back a statement saying it "determined standard procedures were not followed," which allowed the passenger to pass through a standard screening checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson with the weapon.

"TSA will hold those responsible appropriately accountable," the agency said.

The agency later confirmed with NBC News that two TSA officers had been terminated as a result of the incident.

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It is not the first headline in which the agency has missed dangerous weapons in passengers' luggage. According to a 2017 NBC News report, TSA screeners failed to detect test weapons at a "high rate," findings one Congressional committee chairman called "disturbing." Before that, a 2015 investigation also found screeners failed to detect 95 percent of test items.

Nearly 800,000 "non-essential" federal employees - including those from the TSA - have been forced to work without pay as Congress and the President attempt to negotiate a plan to reopen the government.